A cotton harvester spindle including a body rotatable about an axis in a direction of rotation. A tapered end having a tip and a plurality of barbs projecting in the direction of rotation. A flat gullet area extending between the adjacent barbs. The barbs having an axially outermost face angled toward the tip and an axially innermost sloping wall angled radially inwardly toward the flat gullet area. Wherein, the tapered end is covered with a coating selected from the group consisting of aluminum magnesium boride (AlMgB14), aluminum magnesium boride comprising a dopant X (AlMgB14:X), and diamond-like carbon.
